Recycled content alert: I am going to repost a thread about K-dramas that I originally made in December 2024.
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However there is a lot more going on here, and I can't decide whether I think it's a bold, artistic masterpiece or a confused mish mosh of ideas. This drama is on the one hand a very dreamy tale set in the fictional village of Hyecheon over the course of one winter. The cinematography is stunning, and there is a very art-house feel to this drama. The camera pans slowly across the stark, wintry fields and bare trees.
83/NOur two main characters are achingly beautiful. The dialog is very spare, and we get long shots of Eun-seop and Hae-won gazing at each other wistfully, questioningly and ultimately, of course, lovingly as they cradle steaming cups of coffee in their gloved hands. Many of the interior scenes occur in Eun-seop's improbable bookstore, the Goodnight Bookstore.
84/N -
Our two main characters are achingly beautiful. The dialog is very spare, and we get long shots of Eun-seop and Hae-won gazing at each other wistfully, questioningly and ultimately, of course, lovingly as they cradle steaming cups of coffee in their gloved hands. Many of the interior scenes occur in Eun-seop's improbable bookstore, the Goodnight Bookstore.
84/NWe don't get an explanation for how this bookstore exists in a town of what appears to be a few hundred residents, where our main characters spend hours preparing and drinking coffee, exchanging deep glances, and occasionally arranging some books. (Okay Eun-seop at one moment says 'I do a lot of online business'). The drama essentially begins when Hae-won takes a job in the open, airy and well-lit bookstore after returning from Seoul to spend the winter.
85/N -
We don't get an explanation for how this bookstore exists in a town of what appears to be a few hundred residents, where our main characters spend hours preparing and drinking coffee, exchanging deep glances, and occasionally arranging some books. (Okay Eun-seop at one moment says 'I do a lot of online business'). The drama essentially begins when Hae-won takes a job in the open, airy and well-lit bookstore after returning from Seoul to spend the winter.
85/NThe central theme of the drama is the ever-so-slowly blossoming love between people who have suffered deep trauma. Through flashbacks we learn that Hae-won's mother has been in jail for the murder of her father. The father was physically abusive to the Mom, though he was always loving to Hae-won. The teenage Hae-won is sent to live with her aunt in Hyecheon, where the other high-schoolers don't know the dark family secret.
86/N -
The central theme of the drama is the ever-so-slowly blossoming love between people who have suffered deep trauma. Through flashbacks we learn that Hae-won's mother has been in jail for the murder of her father. The father was physically abusive to the Mom, though he was always loving to Hae-won. The teenage Hae-won is sent to live with her aunt in Hyecheon, where the other high-schoolers don't know the dark family secret.
86/NEun-seop was raised by a hermetic father in a cabin on the mountain above Hyecheon. The father dies, and Eun-seop is taken in by a couple in the town who raise him as their own (more or less). As a kid in school he's very much a loner, and the other kids all know that he's kind of a 'wild child'. When Hae-won transfers to his class, it seems that Eun-seop falls for her at first sight - though nothing romantic happens during high school.
87/N -
Eun-seop was raised by a hermetic father in a cabin on the mountain above Hyecheon. The father dies, and Eun-seop is taken in by a couple in the town who raise him as their own (more or less). As a kid in school he's very much a loner, and the other kids all know that he's kind of a 'wild child'. When Hae-won transfers to his class, it seems that Eun-seop falls for her at first sight - though nothing romantic happens during high school.
87/NWhen they meet again in the present day we get the typical trope of the guy who cannot tell the girl that he likes her. Of course he shows it in a hundred tiny gestures - escorting her home on a dark night, buying her insulated boots and so on - but then goes out his way to deny that he has feelings for her which of course confuses Hae-won. I think ultimately there is some event - she gets lost in the woods - and they finally embrace when he rescues her.
88/N -
When they meet again in the present day we get the typical trope of the guy who cannot tell the girl that he likes her. Of course he shows it in a hundred tiny gestures - escorting her home on a dark night, buying her insulated boots and so on - but then goes out his way to deny that he has feelings for her which of course confuses Hae-won. I think ultimately there is some event - she gets lost in the woods - and they finally embrace when he rescues her.
88/NWhen you boil it down it's your basic 'kindergarten kismet' where he's always loved her, and finally they are thrown together long enough for something to catch fire. I will not deny that they have good screen chemistry, and that I was 100% rooting for them, but their relationship is pretty much all vibes. Around this central love story, we have a wealth of other story lines and many compelling supporting characters.
89/N -
When you boil it down it's your basic 'kindergarten kismet' where he's always loved her, and finally they are thrown together long enough for something to catch fire. I will not deny that they have good screen chemistry, and that I was 100% rooting for them, but their relationship is pretty much all vibes. Around this central love story, we have a wealth of other story lines and many compelling supporting characters.
89/NWe learn that Hae-won's aunt Myeong-yeo with whom she stays is an acclaimed novelist, but has not written anything for years. Myeong-yeo is fabulously gloomy, wears sunglasses indoors and is generally caustic and depressed. Hae-won's mother Myeong-joo is another tragic and compelling character. Like her sister, she drips with a world-weary resignation.
90/N -
We learn that Hae-won's aunt Myeong-yeo with whom she stays is an acclaimed novelist, but has not written anything for years. Myeong-yeo is fabulously gloomy, wears sunglasses indoors and is generally caustic and depressed. Hae-won's mother Myeong-joo is another tragic and compelling character. Like her sister, she drips with a world-weary resignation.
90/NOne of Hae-won's traumas is that her mother treats her coldly - she refused to met Hae-won when she was in prison, and sends back all her letters. Now Hae-won's mother has served her 7-year term and it's hard not to feel sympathy for her, despite freezing out her daughter. Myeong-joo has suffered her own trauma of broken dreams and an abusive husband. Her emotionless aspect is really kind of a defense mechanism.
91/N
#kdrama -
One of Hae-won's traumas is that her mother treats her coldly - she refused to met Hae-won when she was in prison, and sends back all her letters. Now Hae-won's mother has served her 7-year term and it's hard not to feel sympathy for her, despite freezing out her daughter. Myeong-joo has suffered her own trauma of broken dreams and an abusive husband. Her emotionless aspect is really kind of a defense mechanism.
91/N
#kdramaI'm only scratching the surface here, as we have any number of additional characters and plotlines revolving around the inhabitants of this small town, and Hae-won and Eun-seop's other classmates. I do have to mention Eun-seop's adoptive little sister Im-hwi (played by Kim Hwan-hee), truly one of the most adorable characters brought to screen. She's boisterous and mischevous and yet surprisingly deep. I loved every minute that she was on screen.
92/N -
I'm only scratching the surface here, as we have any number of additional characters and plotlines revolving around the inhabitants of this small town, and Hae-won and Eun-seop's other classmates. I do have to mention Eun-seop's adoptive little sister Im-hwi (played by Kim Hwan-hee), truly one of the most adorable characters brought to screen. She's boisterous and mischevous and yet surprisingly deep. I loved every minute that she was on screen.
92/NWhen the Weather is Fine earns 4 stars from this reviewer. It's visually stunning, thought-provoking and tackles some deep themes.
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When the Weather is Fine earns 4 stars from this reviewer. It's visually stunning, thought-provoking and tackles some deep themes.
cw: Spoilers
Eighteen series into my k-drama journey. A couple of the previous dramas had some spooky overtones, but Hotel del Luna serves up a legit supernatural universe populated with ghosts and divine beings. This is a gorgeous, sweeping drama with amazing writing and compelling storylines in historical Korea as well as the present time. Many deep themes are explored - death and loss, love and hate, regret and redemption.
94/N
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cw: Spoilers
Eighteen series into my k-drama journey. A couple of the previous dramas had some spooky overtones, but Hotel del Luna serves up a legit supernatural universe populated with ghosts and divine beings. This is a gorgeous, sweeping drama with amazing writing and compelling storylines in historical Korea as well as the present time. Many deep themes are explored - death and loss, love and hate, regret and redemption.
94/NThe drama begins 1,300 years ago in historical Korea. Jang Man-wol (played by IU) is pulling a wagon carrying a coffin through the desert with grim determination. Man-wol is the only surviving member of a gang of bandits, her comrades having been executed after the man she loved betrayed her. Now she is looking for a mystical guest house that comforts the souls of the dead.
95/N -
The drama begins 1,300 years ago in historical Korea. Jang Man-wol (played by IU) is pulling a wagon carrying a coffin through the desert with grim determination. Man-wol is the only surviving member of a gang of bandits, her comrades having been executed after the man she loved betrayed her. Now she is looking for a mystical guest house that comforts the souls of the dead.
95/NMan-wol receives guidance from Magu, a female deity who imposes limits and imperatives on the characters in the story. Because of her many crimes and deep grudges, Man-wol is condemned to a kind of immortality, in between living and dead. She becomes the proprietor of the mystical guest house, a kind of way-station for ghosts before they cross the Samdo river where their memories are wiped clean in preparation for the next life.
96/N -
Man-wol receives guidance from Magu, a female deity who imposes limits and imperatives on the characters in the story. Because of her many crimes and deep grudges, Man-wol is condemned to a kind of immortality, in between living and dead. She becomes the proprietor of the mystical guest house, a kind of way-station for ghosts before they cross the Samdo river where their memories are wiped clean in preparation for the next life.
96/NBack in present day Seoul, Man-wol is still the proprietor of the guest house, now the elegant Hotel del Luna. Koo Chan-sung is a rather dashing young man with a Harvard MBA in hotel management. He's looking for a job at a top hotel, but because of a deal his father made with Man-wol 20 years ago, Chan-sung was pledged to work at the hotel as its human manager.
97/N -
Back in present day Seoul, Man-wol is still the proprietor of the guest house, now the elegant Hotel del Luna. Koo Chan-sung is a rather dashing young man with a Harvard MBA in hotel management. He's looking for a job at a top hotel, but because of a deal his father made with Man-wol 20 years ago, Chan-sung was pledged to work at the hotel as its human manager.
97/NChan-sung resists at first, but after Man-wol gives him the ability to see ghosts he is inexorably drawn into the hotel and Man-wol's world. There is much sadness in this series, as beloved characters cross over into the afterlife, leaving their friends and loved ones to deal with the loss. The cast is fantastic.
IU dazzles as proprietor of the Hotel del Luna - surely one of the most heart stopping beauties from a country that has produced so many beautiful people.
98/N -
Chan-sung resists at first, but after Man-wol gives him the ability to see ghosts he is inexorably drawn into the hotel and Man-wol's world. There is much sadness in this series, as beloved characters cross over into the afterlife, leaving their friends and loved ones to deal with the loss. The cast is fantastic.
IU dazzles as proprietor of the Hotel del Luna - surely one of the most heart stopping beauties from a country that has produced so many beautiful people.
98/NIU is equally radiant and terrifying in the 1,300 years ago storyline. The chemistry between Man-wol and Chan-sung is humorous and subtle, and deepens as the series unfolds. As the series progresses, we see that Chan-sung's arrival portends a dramatic choice for Man-wol and her staff of ghosts. They must face the grudges and attachments that have kept them tied to this world.
99/N -
IU is equally radiant and terrifying in the 1,300 years ago storyline. The chemistry between Man-wol and Chan-sung is humorous and subtle, and deepens as the series unfolds. As the series progresses, we see that Chan-sung's arrival portends a dramatic choice for Man-wol and her staff of ghosts. They must face the grudges and attachments that have kept them tied to this world.
99/NOverseeing this karmic challenge is the deity Magu, who is assisted by a very compelling Grim Reaper. In addition to the arcs faced by our main characters as the series progresses, new ghosts are arriving at the hotel every episode. Each has their own story - how they lived, how they died, and whether they can lay down their grudges and release their attachments to the world of the living.
100/N -
Overseeing this karmic challenge is the deity Magu, who is assisted by a very compelling Grim Reaper. In addition to the arcs faced by our main characters as the series progresses, new ghosts are arriving at the hotel every episode. Each has their own story - how they lived, how they died, and whether they can lay down their grudges and release their attachments to the world of the living.
100/NThis little plot summary does no justice to just how cinematically beautiful and emotionally satisfying Hotel del Luna is. Certainly one of the best dramas I've seen so far, out of a very strong field - a gorgeous series with elements of humor, romance and horror, not to mention some very deep reflection on life, and the meaning of death. Five stars.
101/N -
This little plot summary does no justice to just how cinematically beautiful and emotionally satisfying Hotel del Luna is. Certainly one of the best dramas I've seen so far, out of a very strong field - a gorgeous series with elements of humor, romance and horror, not to mention some very deep reflection on life, and the meaning of death. Five stars.
101/NJust a reminder to readers of this thread that these reviews are solely my reactions to the drama as a random media viewer. I just love Korean popular culture so much, for the way it reliably delivers stories that connect with some deep part of my emotional circuitry. Stylistically there is an inventiveness, a sense of excess, and a willingness to push things to the limits of human and technical capabilities.
102/N -
Just a reminder to readers of this thread that these reviews are solely my reactions to the drama as a random media viewer. I just love Korean popular culture so much, for the way it reliably delivers stories that connect with some deep part of my emotional circuitry. Stylistically there is an inventiveness, a sense of excess, and a willingness to push things to the limits of human and technical capabilities.
102/NBoys Over Flowers from 2009 exemplifies so many elements of why I love K-dramas. This is the earliest drama I've watched so far, and lacks the polish, sophistication and production values of current dramas. What we do get is an expansive, boisterous and soapy exploration of class, family, love and morality. The hair styles and fashion in this series are so very much of its time as well - especially Jun-pyo with his signature curls, and Ji-hoo with his long, emo blond bangs - so great!
103/N
